TRANSPORTATION: The Biden administration restores California’s ability to set vehicle emissions standards that are stronger than the federal government’s, reversing a Trump-era rule. (San Francisco Chronicle)

OIL & GAS:
• Oil companies are sitting on thousands of unused federal drilling permits for the Permian Basin, even as the industry calls on the Biden administration to expedite public land oil and gas development. (Bloomberg)
• ConocoPhillips officials continue to investigate the cause of an ongoing underground methane leak at an Alaska oil and gas facility. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Residents of a Colorado city say its oil and gas “best management practices” are helpful but don’t solve all the problems associated with drilling. (Colorado Sun)  
• Colorado oil and gas producers ask the state to speed up its drilling permitting process so they can increase production. (CBS4)
• U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, a New Mexico Republican, introduces a bill that would require the Biden administration to resume federal oil and gas leasing immediately. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

SOLAR: California energy justice advocates urge regulators to expand access to community solar to allow disadvantaged groups to benefit from the energy transition. (High Country News)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Portland, Oregon, retail sales tax that funds clean energy projects in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color has raised three times more money than expected since its November 2020 approval. (Portland Tribune, subscription)

WIND: California’s energy commission approves a $10.5 million grant for renovations at a north coast port to support offshore wind power development. (news release)

GEOTHERMAL: Reno, Nevada, considers using geothermal energy instead of natural gas to heat a public swimming pool. (KOLO) 

CLIMATE:
• Washington state lawmakers pass a bill creating carbon emission standards for buildings between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Idaho National Laboratory says it plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2031. (news release)

NUCLEAR: The Biden administration considers imposing sanctions on Russian uranium, which could boost beleaguered Wyoming and Utah mines. (Reuters)

BIOFUEL: Residents of Glendale, California, sue the city over plans to build a landfill methane-fueled power plant. (KCRW)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board says the governor’s proposed tax rebate is a better way to offset rising gas prices than drilling more planet-harming oil wells. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A Colorado energy journalist calls on utilities to incentivize installing electric heat pumps instead of subsidizing natural gas line extensions. (Aspen Times)

Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.